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Categories: Maya/m, Tony/Maya
Characters: Maya, Tony Verdeschi
Show Year: Y2
Rating: R
The Alphans encounter a Starfleet emergency transporter that beams Maya onto the Enterprise-D. Far from Tony, she finds herself growing closer to Commander Riker...

Reviews of The Transformation. There are 5 reviews in this list.

Chris Coyne
Date: 2000-12-01
Rating: 5
Great crossover story. I love the love triangle between Tony/Maya/Riker. Makes me wish this had been a televised show. Great action and plot and a happy ending at the end of the story for the Space 1999 crew.

JM
Date: 2002-04-25
Rating: 4
While this novel is an impressive piece of work, Philippa, I did feel while reading it that the characterizations of the Enterprise-D crew were slightly askew---especially that of Riker. He seemed alternately sophisticated and desperate. While I understand that love can cause such mood swings, it felt somehow wrong that he would pursue Maya so ardently when he knew she was involved with someone else. The character, while certainly a ladies' man, never seemed interested, to be vulgar, in squatting on another male's territory. The concept works, if you acknowledge it as an aberration in his behavioral pattern, but is otherwise, in my opinion, somewhat off target. There's just enough of a bias for me to affirm, "You like Space: 1999 more than Star Trek: The Next Generation." It's not glaring, but is noticeable to a perceptive reader.

I also felt as if the novel was a bit of a tease. There's an implication that we'll see intimacy---even perhaps some well-written erotica (especially between Riker and Maya)---and it never comes to pass. I felt more than a little cheated.

The exploration of Maya's psyche was well done. I like her more now than I did watching Space: 1999 during the 70s. The plot was basic, but more than serviceable. There were some excellent turns of phrase, and the characters (again, Alpha's slightly more than Enterprise's) were written convincingly.

Overall, an excellent effort.

As an aside, if you have an interest in fan fiction beyond TNG and S:1999, I'd welcome a visit from you to Star Trek: Liberty, my own work. It's at www.USSLiberty.net, and has received more than a bit of acclaim---whether deserved or not is for individual readers to decide. Perhaps you'd care to try "Jurisprudence," since your namesake, Phillipa Louvois, figures prominently therein.

Aurora
Date: 2003-02-24
Rating: 4
This is a great story! Most of the characters feel as they should. The only thing I can think of against it is that it paints Riker as a real s.o.b. The triangle between Tony/Maya/ Riker is believeable, but Riker comes off as slime in some of the scenes. I still loved the story, but that was my impression.

brg
Date: 2004-06-11
Rating: 5
Certainly more of a Space: 1999 story than ST: TNG, but that’s no problem at all. The Tony/Maya/Riker thing is in fact quite sly, I think. As with other of Phillipa’s stories that I have read, the characterisations are true to form, and deepened.

There are a number of themes that recur in Phillipa’s work, absent from the series, but these are natural enough and would almost certainly be addressed if the series was being made today.

The action on Lanthenon was also quite well down, with a credible political situation given as background. Also, it was good to see the parallel universe idea discarded; both series co-existing in the same continuity. This gives extra punch to the Enterprise coming across the long-lost Moon. The events of ‘Journey to Where’ are acknowledged also.

Some good humour: a scene with Data, who gets the funniest line, at the end of the story is especially amusing.

We don’t see much of Alan Carter though. That’s a pity, I’m sure Phillipa would bring much to his character in the same way she has to Tony/Maya - who evidently are her favourites. Never bought into that criticism that the characters were poor.

And of course, we get a happy ending for the series, using the ST: TNG universe to its advantage. You can’t help but feel the characters deserve it, for no other reason than their series was cut off so early!

None too sure why the story is given the title ‘The Transformation’. Perhaps I am missing something obvious.

Great stuff; if you’ve not read it, read it now.

Gaia
Date: 2005-11-15
Rating: 5
This was the first piece of 1999 fan fiction I ever read, and it inspired me to attempt my own version of the Tony/Maya universe. Philippa has a real talent for making the imaginary seem "real."

Space:1999 is (c) 1976 by Carlton International Media.
All stories are the property of their respective authors.

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